Quidditch Musings
by PrankstersUnited
Summary: A collection of KBOW one shots written for the Last Ship Sailing competition.
1. Chapter 1

Written for the Last Ship Sailing Competition. Prompts: cauldron, knitting needles, on cloud nine, navy, candlelight

Bonus prompts: nervous habit, "I thought I saw something in the window," centaurs, yellow.

* * *

The common room was quiet. It was the night before Gryffindor was playing Ravenclaw. The two houses had been so tense due to the upcoming game that would be deciding who would be playing Slytherin in the Quidditch Cup. The houses were snapping at each other quite frequently, especially in classes the players were in. During potions, the twins jinxed Roger Davies' cauldron **,** causing it to turn into a mouse. The potion he had been working on exploded and the twins were given detention for the night. Oliver was livid. His two beaters were now in detention the night before the big game and he still had a few plays he wanted to go over with the team.

After two hours of waiting in the common room, Oliver sent the rest of the team to bed. He went upstairs to his dorm to try to relax. He started pacing around his room mulling over plays and scenarios of things that might happen. He wasn't the Quidditch captain for nothing, it was his job to be aware of all possible outcomes of the game.

Except for the one he didn't want to think about. The potential chance of them losing. Sure, they lost to Hufflepuff in the last match, but it wasn't their fault. With Dementors suddenly appearing on the field, how was he supposed to know Harry would fall off his broom and not catch the snitch? There was no way Dumbledore would allow that to happen again.

"Oy! Oliver, quit pacing already and stop worrying about tomorrow!" Percy yelled from his bed.

"Sorry Perce, my nerves are on edge," he replied as he went to try to lay down and calm his thoughts. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, he got back up and went downstairs, maybe a midnight snack might be the best way to help calm his frazzled nerves.

* * *

Katie was sitting in a corner of the common room, lit only by the crackling fire that was slowly dying in the fireplace. Her knitting needles were clacking angrily as she was intently focused on the fire in front of her. She couldn't help but think about how upset Oliver had been before he tried to get the team to go to bed. She should be upstairs in her dorm room, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. How Angelina and Alicia were able to sleep the night before a match she would never know.

Not to mention that Roger Davies' exploding potion had singed her hair and ruined her robes. Plus it was her OWL year, and all the professors had assigned mountains of homework for the weekend, despite knowing how important the match was tomorrow. Her knitting needles continued clacking, it was one of her nervous habits that she had never been able to shake. Keeping her hands busy always helped her to de-stress and sort out her problems. For some reason, that wasn't the case tonight. All she could focus on was the fact that if they lost the game tomorrow, it would destroy Oliver. He had been waiting for years to finally win the Quidditch Cup, and if they couldn't pull it off tomorrow, his dream would be finished. Gryffindor was known to have the best Quidditch team this year, but at the same time ever since Harry had joined the team they should have won the cup.

But they didn't.

Something always destroyed that dream. And Katie did not want to let Oliver down. She knew she would play her hardest. She knew that all the others would too. Of course the twins wound up with detention tonight, everyone's stress levels were so high. They all wanted Oliver to finally achieve his dream of getting his name on the cup.

Why did she care about Oliver so much? It was something she had been noticing for a while. She wanted to talk to Angelina and Alicia about it, but she knew she would never hear the end of it.

It was just a little crush. She knew that's what it had to be. It would pass. He was her Quidditch captain for goodness sake.

But what if it was more? She had only recently admitted to herself that she did have some feelings towards him. He was attractive, and his Scottish brogue was wonderful to listen to, even if he was just reciting new Quidditch plays most of the time. She shook her head and willed herself to continue to focus on her knitting.

* * *

Oliver headed down to the common room, trying to be quiet as he went down the stairs. As he turned the corner to look into the common room, a familiar blonde head was visible near the fire. No other lights were on, and her hair was shining faintly in the firelight. He smiled to himself, thinking how lucky he was to have her in his life. Things didn't start out as well as they had hoped between them, with her thinking he only cared about Quidditch and with him only caring about Quidditch, but as they grew to know each other over the years they became much more friendly towards each other.

He didn't think he'd ever hear the end of it from Fred and George, they teased him relentlessly about how much he liked her. As long as they didn't say anything to her, he would be happy. There was no way she felt the same way about him that he felt about her.

He continued down the stairs and made his way through the dimly lit common room over to her. He bumped into the edge of the chair, startling her.

She glanced up and gave him a smile, "Hey Ollie, can't sleep either?"

"I wish. But it's impossible before a big game," he paused, questioning what he was seeing in front of him. "When did you start knitting?"

She shrugged, laughing to herself. "This? It's my nervous habit **,** for some reason it's always easier to think when my hands are busy."

"Better than mine at least, I keep pacing around the room until Percy finally kicks me out because he can't sleep. Do you mind if I join you?"

She smiled and moved towards the end of the couch, leaving enough room for him to sit down next to her. He slumped down, throwing his feet up onto the coffee table in front of them. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes; the only sounds were the clacking knitting needles and the crackling fire. He took a deep breath in, enjoying being surrounded by her presence. He began drumming his fingers on the arm of the couch; the upcoming match was slowly starting to creep back into the forefront of his mind. Maybe he did need that midnight snack. He glanced at the clock, knowing it was after curfew, but that there was a good chance he'd be able to sneak down to the kitchens unnoticed.

Oliver felt a nudge in his side, "You, sir, are getting extremely restless. What are you thinking about? Unless it's the match, then forget I asked," she said as she tilted her head in a teasing fashion. He took a deep breath, trying to settle his thoughts before answering her.

"Well of course it's the match, but I was also thinking that it's time for a midnight snack. It might help both of us sleep better," he stood up and stretched, then offered her his hand. "Would you care to join me?"

She stared at him and his outstretched hand in disbelief. "You, Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, willing to sneak _out_ of the common room the night before a Quidditch match?" He started slightly at the amused tone of her voice. "Of course, being with you and breaking the rules the night before the game? How could I not be in?" She reached out and accepted his hand, quickly standing up and leaving her knitting in a pile on the coffee table. "And if we get caught?"

"It will be by McGonagall who will completely understand the necessity of this trip. This game is important!"

"That's your answer?" She shook her head as she raised her eyebrows, "I don't think I will ever understand you." She grinned, "But lead the way!" He pulled her out of the common room, heading downstairs making sure to check around them to confirm there were no professors or prefects nearby.

A thud sounded in the distance, barely loud enough to be heard. "Did you hear something?" Katie asked, worriedly.

"I couldn't tell. Maybe? It was probably nothing. Let's cut through here though, just to be safe," Oliver replied and gestured towards the portrait in front of one of the secret passageways that led to the first floor. Katie nodded as she glanced over her shoulder. She flinched and froze where she was standing. "Kates, what's wrong?"

"I thought I saw something in the window…" she trailed off, looking concerned. Oliver turned and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Must have been the centaurs. The skies are clear after all," he joked. She rolled her eyes in response as she followed him into the secret passage. Once the portrait closed behind them she stopped, leaning against the wall for support. He glanced back at her and gave her a questioning glance.

"Oliver, why are you acting like you're on cloud nine? I thought you'd be more worried about the game. And why am _I_ petrified of the game tomorrow? Did we switch roles or something? Because this isn't normal. Did you get hit in the head with a bludger? It seems to be the only logical explanation. I mean, you're joking around. And you're up late the night before a Quidditch match."

"Kates."

"Plus how is it possible that you aren't more uptight right now? The twins got detention tonight! Normally you'd be freaking out about perfecting the plays to make sure we do everything we can to win tomorrow. I don't want to let you down if we don't win, it's been your dream since you got to Hogwarts to see your name on the cup."

"Katie," he said, more forcefully.

"It's midnight and we're sneaking down to the kitchens, the night before a _huge_ match!"

" _Katie!"_ he exclaimed, placing a hand over her mouth, only to realize that the navy blue in her eyes were sparkling with a twinge of excitement that was being reflected by the candlelight in the passage. "You're rambling again. I'm going to take my hand away from your mouth, but I don't want you to say anything just yet." He moved his hand away from her mouth and lightly brushed against her hand. She sighed and raised her eyebrows.

He took a deep breath, trying to arrange his thoughts before saying, "Yes it is the night before a match. Yes I'm trying to not act worried. In reality I'm terrified as hell that we're going to lose. I don't want to think about it. It's my last chance to get the cup, you know that. The entire team knows it! But right now I need to do something to calm my mind, at least so I can get a little bit of sleep to feel semi rested for the game. And the best way I could think to do that was to go for a walk and get a midnight snack."

Katie's eyes widened as she heard this. What he was saying sounded much more like the Oliver Wood she was used to. How he was forcing his mind to try to ignore all of the stress was astounding. "How are you managing to act so calm then?"

He gave half a grin, unsure of how best to continue. He didn't want her to realize that he had feelings for her. But seeing her leaning against the wall, listening to her worrying about how much she cared that they won tomorrow to fulfill his dream of winning the cup, it meant a lot. She had never looked more beautiful, with the yellow-blonde highlights in her hair gleaming in the candlelight in the passage.

Oliver's mind was racing. All he wanted to do was to take her hand and lace their fingers together.

"Because Kates, for once I'm trying to live in the moment." He sighed, and reaching out he put her hand into his, lacing their fingers together like he had been longing to do. They fit together perfectly, he felt the tension in Katie's body dissipate slightly, replaced with a new sensation of relief. He pulled her closer, trying to extend some of his calm into her anxious body. She moved closer to him, leaning her shoulder into his chest.

"What was that for?" She asked, glancing up to look into his eyes. He could still see the tension in her face, accentuated by wondering what was going on between them. There had always been a spark between them, one that caused them to argue extensively. But it also allowed them to have a lot of meaningful conversation when they weren't surrounded by their friends. These late night adventures were starting to become common between them; it felt so natural to be in each other's presence.

He smiled, his face lighting up as he met her gaze. He squeezed her hand tighter, "I knew it would calm you. Just like being with you tonight is helping to calm my nerves. Just like being with you at any time always helps me to focus, even when we're arguing about nothing important. It's just… us. The way it feels like we're supposed to be there for each other."

She smiled shyly, something that was rare for Katie. "I think I can agree with that. You stopped my rambling, you know how difficult that is."

He chuckled, knowing how true that was. Whenever she got nervous she would ramble incessantly. Most of the time it never made much sense.

Or her true feelings would pour out. It was one of the reasons they argued so much.

But during the other times, it allowed them to get closer. She was becoming his best friend. The person he would always turn to when things went wrong. To share the things he didn't want to admit.

He grinned, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder as they sat on the ground in the passageway. He was content to be here peacefully with her.

Who knows, maybe he wouldn't need that midnight snack anymore. He was calm, he was with Katie, and sleep might come easier that night as he now had something more important to focus on, at least for the next few hours.


	2. Chapter 2

Entry for Round 2 of the Last Ship Sailing Competition. Prompts used: Object: seashell, Spell: Nox, Location: library, 7. Emotion: nervous, 9. Word: childish. Bonus prompts used: Dialogue: "I just want to know one thing.", Word: illuminated

Mid-Day Surprises

OWLs were truly created only to cause pain and misery for anyone who had to take them. Katie was going crazy studying for her transfiguration OWL. Thankfully she wasn't terrible at this subject. McGonagall always managed to make things interesting. To be fair, OWLs were still months away, but Katie preferred to tell herself she was studying for them by studying for her regular tests. That normally helped, right?

She sighed, trying to maintain her focus on her work. Normally sitting in the library helped her focus. Today it just wasn't happening. She and Oliver had recently started dating and she was still giddy inside thinking about it. It was getting to be Christmas time and Quidditch was coming to the break in the season allowing her to actually focus on her schoolwork and new relationship. She sighed, knowing she shouldn't be thinking about her relationship with Oliver right now. She was currently sitting in the library for a reason, and that reason was to study for her Transfiguration midterm that was in two days.

She groaned as she glanced around at all the papers spread on the table in front of her. There was no way that she would be able to remember all this for her midterm. She closed her eyes as she rested her head on her hands, trying to take some deep breaths to help her focus.

"Hey Kates!" came a voice to her left. She knew that voice all too well.

"Hey Ollie," she grunted, not lifting her head off of her hands.

He raised an eyebrow towards her, "Normally you're a little happier to see me…"

This caused her to lift up her head, "Well normally I'm not trying, and failing, to study for my Transfiguration midterm."

"Well come on, I have something I want to show you. It's a Saturday and it's still really early in the day. You need a break before you pull your hair out. I know you Kates and when you start getting like this you are not going to be able to focus." She glanced at him with a sour expression as she raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah? That's how I get?" She grumbled.

He nodded, "Hey!" He said in defense. "At least it's not worse than how I get a few weeks before a Quidditch match."

She let out a reluctant laugh. "True," she groaned, "Now what is it you wanted to show me?"

He helped her pack her schoolwork up and held out his hand. She accepted it as he pulled her out of the library. "Now first off, we are going for an adventure. Since it's still really warm outside, I figured we'd head outside for a little bit and enjoy the weather."

She squeezed his hand tighter in agreement and smiled. She loved Oliver like this. Not many people were able to see this side of him, most of them only saw the Quidditch obsessed Oliver Wood, but she was able to see his true personality. Ever since she joined the team in her second year, she and Oliver had a connection. During every practice, she was the one able to talk some sense into him when he started to be unreasonable. When the rest of the team didn't like something he proposed, they would go to her to try to convince him it wasn't a smart idea. She hated it at first, but it was one of the ways they were able to get to know each other better. Now, she was so thankful for it.

He led her through the main entrance and started heading towards the Quidditch Pitch. "Ollie, are we headed where I think we're headed?"

He smirked, "Probably."

She laughed, "Some things never change. I'm sure you would get married, or live here if you had the chance."

"No comment." She chuckled as she raised her eyebrow at him.

They reached the Quidditch Pitch and he led her to the center of the pitch. There was a blanket set up with some food he must have gotten from the house elves.

She smiled, "You really do know exactly what to do to help me get out of my nervous funk regarding exams, don't you?"

He grinned, "If it's nothing to do with Quidditch, and if it's something that I know will make you happy and calm you down, then yes." He gestured to the picnic blanket in front of him, "And here m'lady is a wonderful feast for you to enjoy that will help you to stop fretting and refocus your mind." He sat down on the blanket and pulled her down next to him. She tumbled down and wound up laying on top of him, knocking the wind out of him.

Her eyes widened as she noticed she was completely on top of him. He coughed and she exclaimed, "Oh my gosh. Oliver I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he breathed as he wound his arms around her and pulled her close for a hug.

She sighed in relief, "I hate being so klutzy. I'm sorry again Ollie." She returned his hug and rolled off of him. They sat up; a cool, crisp breeze was rustling through their hair. For Scotland in December, the weather was gorgeous.

"No need to apologize Kates," he smiled as he started rummaging through his bag. "Lumos," he whispered as his wand illuminated and he continued to search for something. "Dang, I know it was in here earlier," he mumbled, "the twins better not have done something with it…"

Katie glanced at him quizzically. "Dare I even ask?"

"Aha!" He exclaimed as he pulled a small box out of his bag. "Nox," he whispered, allowing his wand to extinguish the light. He took a deep breath, "So I was out at Hogsmeade the last weekend we were there and I found this for you. I thought of you as soon as I saw it, but I really hope you don't think it too childish." He held out the box for her and she took it slowly.

The box was light in her hands. He hadn't wrapped it, but the box was beautiful. She opened the lid and a beautiful seashell necklace was sitting in the box. Her eyes lit up as she lifted the necklace out of the box.

"It's beautiful Ollie." She held it up, the sunlight was glittering off the chain and the shell. "Can you put it on for me?" She asked, reaching out for him to take the necklace from her.

He smiled as he reached to take the necklace. He fastened the necklace as Katie felt the cool sensation on her neck. She smiled back to him as she fingered the necklace. She wasn't used to wearing jewelry, but this reminded her of the sea and her childhood home, making her miss being by the sea even more.

"I just want to know one thing, why on earth would I think it was childish?"

He groaned, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask… but essentially because I was worried you would think wearing a seashell would be something a kid would do…" he trailed off.

She took his hand and looked into his chocolate brown eyes, "It reminds me of home Ollie, and I can't thank you enough for that."

"I also figured it would be a nice reminder for you to have during our midterms. It might give you something to fiddle with that will help you focus rather than playing with your quill or the paper."

She swatted at him, "Hey! I only do that because it lets me focus better and isn't too distracting!"

"Well this might be even less distracting for others in your general area."

"Are you saying I'm distracting?"

He glanced to the side, trying to sidestep her question. "Well… the others did mention something to me…"

She narrowed her eyes at him as wrapped his arm around her. "But I don't find it distracting at all, it's endearing,"

"Endearing?"

"It's cute. And I can tell when you're thinking hard about something. It shows your passion for trying to focus and study what you are able to."

She smiled back at him, "I can accept that," she responded as she leaned into his side and they started to eat the feast the house elves had provided for this special occasion.


	3. Chapter 3

Written for Round 3 of the Last Ship Sailing Competition. Prompts used: Object: chess piece, Object: quilt, Word: storm, Emotion: impatient, Location: The Shrieking Shack

Bonus prompts used: Object: map, Setting: Great Hall, Word: impromptu, Emotion: helpless

* * *

Hogsmeade Misadventures

Katie had fallen asleep on the couch again, her homework chaotically spread around her. Oliver could see the book on her chest slowly rising and falling with each breath. It seemed as though she managed to fall asleep on the couch at least 3 days a week. He knew her OWLs were slowly starting to get to her. The added pressure of Quidditch was also starting to take a toll on her and the entire team. They were determined to win the Cup this year, but it just happened to coincide with Oliver's NEWT year and the rest of the team's OWL year, excluding Harry of course.

Oliver smiled to himself as he watched Katie turn towards the couch and reach for a pillow to hold. It was a Saturday morning and a Hogsmeade morning; he was surprised that none of their other classmates had managed to wake her up yet.

"Good morning Olliekins!" came a shout from behind him. Oliver could see Katie stir on the couch before he turned to face the Weasley twins.

"Morning guys. You two seem awfully chipper for eight o'clock in the morning."

Fred smirked, "Well. It is a Hogsmeade day. Which means…"

"Zonkos!" George jumped in. "Come on guys, we need to get to breakfast or we'll be late!"

"Katie! What are you doing sleeping down here?" Fred asked when he noticed her stretching on the couch.

She mumbled something unintelligible as she swung her feet onto the floor. "Coffee," she finally managed to say as she stood up and began walking to the portrait hole.

"If the lady insists, then we must head down to the Great Hall," Fred began as Katie was stumbling towards the door. Oliver rolled his eyes at the twins as he hurried to catch up to Katie. He was almost behind her when he noticed a chess board and a lone chess piece on the ground in front of her. Oliver's eyes widened as he tried to say something to warn her, but it was too late. Her slipper-covered foot stepped on the chess piece as her foot started to slide out from underneath her. She let out a small scream as she started to fall backwards. Oliver held his arms out and was able to catch her and allow her to regain her footing.

Once she was standing with both feet on the ground, she leaned back into Oliver's hand and mumbled, "Thanks Ollie. Now, coffee?"

He chuckled, loving how her mind in the morning only focused on one thing. "Yes Kates, let's go. Just make sure to watch where you're going this time." She glared at him as she exited the portrait hole. "You two coming?" Oliver asked the twins.

"Not just yet, we have a few things to plan first," George replied.

"And we might as well wait for Ange and Leesh," Fred continued.

"But you just said… never mind. We'll meet you down there then. I need to make sure Katie gets her coffee now… and that she doesn't manage to fall down a flight of stairs. See you in the Great Hall!" Oliver exclaimed as he turned to chase after Katie.

* * *

The Great Hall wasn't as crowded as normal for a Hogsmeade morning. It was still early, but normally there were more people mulling around eating breakfast or reading their mail.

Katie poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip. "Much better. Did you have anywhere specific you wanted to head to today?"

He thought for a moment, "I wish I could go to Quality Quidditch Supplies, I need some more broom polish. But since I can't, probably Zonkos and Honeydukes. You?"

"Sometimes I wonder why I even ask," she laughed. "You and Quidditch should really start dating soon. But to answer your question, those same places I definitely wanted to go. Along with The Three Broomsticks, but that's a given. I wouldn't mind just walking around either, it's always so pretty there in the spring."

Oliver nodded in agreement as they both returned to eating their food. Oliver was glancing through the paper, while Katie was nursing a second cup of coffee. 15 minutes went by and the rest of the group hadn't appeared.

Katie glanced towards the doors of the Great Hall, "It doesn't seem like the others are coming anytime soon… Maybe we should head over to Hogsmeade and leave them a note telling them to meet us when they get there?" Oliver could tell she was starting to get impatient. She never was one to wait when there was something more exciting to do.

Oliver looked towards the doors, "You're probably right, let's go," he replied as he stood up and scribbled a quick note for their friends. He put a bowl of fruit over the beginning of the note, knowing one of the girls would see it at their customary spot. He turned towards the doors and followed Katie outside.

They walked in a companionable silence, occasionally discussing their classes and the rest of the Quidditch season, but mostly enjoying being in each other's company. Oliver glanced over at Katie and noticed how her hair was glistening in the sunlight. He took a deep breath, willing himself to not think about that.

"Ollie? You ok?" Katie asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking, we should head over to the Shrieking Shack," he blurted out.

Katie stared at him in disbelief. "Did the twins do something to you? Because this isn't normal behavior."

"Why is it whenever I decide to do something a little out of the ordinary, you accuse the twins?"

"Maybe because we're friends with two of the craziest pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen?"

Oliver thought for a moment, "I guess that would do it. But no Katie, this has nothing to do with the twins. I just feel like being daring. Is that so wrong?"

Katie's eyes widened, "Not at all. It's just such an impromptu request that it almost seemed like the twins put you up to it."

"Them? Put me up to something? Ha! Never in a million years."

"But what about that time they made you turn all of Percy's shoes neon green?"

Oliver didn't answer.

"And what about the time…"

Oliver quickly cut her off, saying, "Let's not talk about that. Look, we're here." He pointed in front of him at the menacing building. Even though they were outside it sounded as if it were creaking and groaning. He grabbed her hand and started to pull her towards one of the cracked windows.

She had never felt so helpless. She hated scary things. She always had, but she trusted Oliver. Ever since they were little kids growing up together. He was her rock, basically just like the older brother she never had. But he was more than that. Whenever she looked at him she couldn't just see a brother figure. It was hard to describe. She loved being around him, even when all he could talk about was Quidditch. He was… home. Maybe it was because they grew up together and have known each other their entire lives. That had to be it.

She squeezed his hand tighter as they reached the window. A shiver shook her body as she glanced inside the dusty window. Oliver was fiddling with the window, almost as if he were trying to jimmy it open. Before she knew it, the window screeched and slid open.

"The twins showed me this the last time we were up here, although we didn't make it inside then. Do you trust me?"

She gave a half-smile, "Of course I trust you. I just don't trust whatever is in _there._ " She replied and glanced into the open window. She took a deep breath, "Well, you only live once, right?"

He grinned and looked around, seeing no one in the area, he quickly climbed through the window. Turning around he stuck his hand out the window, offering it to Katie. She accepted it and scrambled through the window. Dusting off her clothes, she stood up and looked around.

It looked like a storm had ravaged the building. Everything was in disarray. Chairs were toppled over; there were scratches on the floors and walls, and the couch looked like it had been chewed up. Katie moved closer to Oliver just as he started to head towards the middle of the room. She felt for her wand in her pocket, relieved to feel it resting against her thigh. "Ollie?" She whispered as he turned back to her. Seeing the fear etched into her face, he walked towards her and took her hand in his.

"You ok now?" He asked with concern.

"I'm better than before, I just never expected to be in here." Katie always found his presence calming, especially in tense or stressful situations. They started to walk through one of the doorways into what appeared to be a bedroom. "There's no way ghosts did this…" she trailed off as she glanced at a quilt that was lying in tatters on the bed.

"No, that doesn't seem possible…" he moved around the room, examining the destruction. He could hear Katie's breathing; it seemed faster and more shallow than normal. He faced her and could see her examining a map that was lying on the dresser.

"Doesn't this look like the map that Fred and George had? It doesn't seem exactly like it, but it's so similar."

"It does, but how could it have wound up here? They told me they haven't actually come in here since last year. And I remember seeing them with their map around Christmas."

"I have an idea," Katie began, "I'm really craving a butterbeer right now. Why don't we go get that, find the others, and then come back here and explore?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Come on," he took her hand again, leading her back towards the window. They both climbed out and Oliver quickly shut the window. They squinted, trying to let their eyes readjust to the bright sunlight.

Katie nudged Oliver in the side, "Well Mr. Quidditch Captain, it's a good thing I was in there to prevent the ghosts from attacking you."

Oliver's eyebrows shot up underneath his hairline. "Oh really Ms. Chaser. That's not how I remember it happening. What I remember is you following me the entire time."

Katie crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him.

"Now that's not a face I like to see," he laughed, which caused her to glare at him.

"Well that's the one you're getting right now." She turned with a huff and began to walk back towards Hogsmeade. He jogged to catch up to her, and upon reaching her, he pulled her around and she lost her balance, falling into him. He caught her and helped steady her. Oliver glanced down into her sea-colored eyes, ablaze with emotion. He could still sense the slight fear from before, but he also could see she was completely at peace to be near him. He cupped her face with his hand and leaned down, lightly letting their lips meet. He felt her relax against him as she pulled him slightly closer. He tried to convey years of emotion into this one kiss, hoping it wouldn't be their only one. They broke apart, glancing at each other shyly, almost as though it was their first time truly seeing each other.

Katie gave him a shy smile; Oliver could see her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"I've been waiting years to do that," Oliver whispered, grinning.

"I have too," she answered, still in complete disbelief that this actually had occurred. "We can't tell the others just yet. I want to see how long it takes them to figure it out."

He smirked, "That sounds perfect. Should we head towards the Three Broomsticks then?"

She nodded. He placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him, not wanting to be apart from her just yet. They had the rest of the walk to enjoy this newly established relationship before they returned to normal life.


	4. Chapter 4

Written for Round 4 of the Last Ship Sailing Competition.

Prompts used: setting a dinner table, staring at a clock, "You don't mean that," smoke, weakness

Bonus prompts used: Imperius Curse, grey, Knut, nostalgic

* * *

 **Love and Fear**

Three hours. He was three hours late. Normally Katie wouldn't even think twice about it, but with the war going on, she was always terrified that something would happen to Oliver. The Wizarding World was in turmoil with Voldemort's recent rise to power. Katie wished she was back in school, but at the same time, with Dumbledore's death, Snape the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and suspected Death Eaters running around; Hogwarts seemed no safer than the rest of the world. She sighed and turned to stare at the clock. The Weasley's had given them a clock similar to the Burrow's this past Christmas; the biggest difference was that it had Oliver, Angelina, Alicia, Lee, Fred, George, and her name on it. Even though only Oliver and Katie were living together, it did give them some piece of mind to know the rest of their friends were ok.

She turned away from the clock and shut her eyes. She took a few deep breaths to try to convince herself that Oliver was fine. He had just been at Quidditch practice and he had said he needed to stop by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to talk to the twins about something after practice.

But he had promised her that he would be home by six. It was almost nine o'clock and dinner was warming on the stove. She moved to the cabinets and took out a few plates, glasses, and silverware. She went to set the dinner table; she needed to keep herself busy in order to try to keep her mind off of the "what if" scenarios that were running through her head.

Katie needed him. Oliver was the only thing that kept her sane throughout this horrific time. He was trying to keep as normal a life as possible by continuing with his career as a professional Quidditch player for Puddlemere United. Katie had originally thought she would also become a professional Quidditch player, but she had never considered becoming a Healer until her 'accident' in her seventh year of school. But what Katie was still amazed at was that Oliver was by her side while she was at St. Mungo's after being on the receiving end of the Imperius Curse. Katie had originally thought they were just friends, but he would go to Quidditch practice, then come back to the hospital, sleeping in one of the uncomfortable chairs next to her bed every night. His actions had started to make her wonder if there was something more between them.

She had a huge crush on him throughout all of their schooling, but she never thought it was reciprocated. They had kept up writing letters for the years Katie was in school, but it wasn't until her accident that she began to realize they both felt the same way towards each other and they had for years.

Glancing at the clock again, she was relieved to see his arrow had moved to the "travelling" category. She sighed in relief as a loud crack was heard outside of their flat. The door opened slowly as Oliver stumbled in, looking soaked and exhausted. He glanced up, meeting her eyes, "Hey Kates." He shrugged off his cloak and quickly removed his muddy shoes.

"Ollie," she breathed, "I was getting worried, is everything ok?"

He looked at her with confusion, "Of course it is, how come?"

She leaned against the doorframe, wondering how best to phrase this. "You're… three hours late. I was worried something had happened to you. I didn't hear from you and I didn't get any Patronus messages. I just was starting to feel like the Death Eaters got a hold of you somehow," she looked at the ground, embarrassed to be so worried about him.

"Oh Katie," he answered as he moved towards her to engulf her in a hug. "Practice went late. And then I wound up at the joke shop for longer than expected because the twins were being idiotic and were trying to convince me to try various products. Then one of the customers managed to sneak a Skiving Snackbox and started puking everywhere. I'm sorry you were so worried," he said with concern.

She turned and met his eyes as she gave a sad half-smile. "With Harry on the run, Death Eaters everywhere, and with all the attack victims I see at work I just get so worried that I'll be at work and you or one of our friends are going to be the next victim that comes through the door. I'm so thankful to be part of the Order, but the world is terrifying right now."

"I know Katie, I know. I'm sorry I didn't send you a message to let you know I was going to be so late," he paused, sniffing at the air, "Do you smell smoke?"

Her eyes widened, "Crap! It's dinner." She rushed into the kitchen to try to salvage their meal. Shutting off the stove she quickly removed the food that had been warming in the stove. A charred mess was all she could see. " _Aguamenti,_ " she said as she pulled out her wand, allowing water to douse the charred remnants of dinner. She set the pan down, and slid to the floor next to the stove. Hugging her knees, a few tears began to fall. After a few moments, she could hear Oliver walking through the door. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap.

"Kates… I know you aren't upset over dinner. What's going on?"

She sniffed and glanced up at him. Taking a deep breath she began, "I'm just so scared Ollie. I'm terrified something is going to happen to one of us, especially since we're so deep into working with the Order. You're in the public eye all the time, as is Angelina. Alicia's been trying to work for the Ministry, Fred and George are running the joke shop with Lee. But we're all doing something to fight against… _him._ With everything I see at St. Mungo's and at headquarters, trying to help heal everyone from dark magic, it's just been getting to me." A few more tears slipped down her face as Oliver wiped them off and hugged her tighter. "You know this is my biggest weakness Oliver; I care for you guys too much. My parents hate that I'm out here fighting against _him_ but it's the only thing I can do to help. It's the only way I can see to help protect all of you. I just… I can't imagine anything happening to you guys. You're all my family now…" her voice trailed off as she tried to curl herself into a tighter ball.

Oliver was holding and rocking her, trying to give her the support that she so desperately craved. "You know I'm always here for you Katie. I always will be. I love you so much it breaks my heart to see you this upset." She clutched at his shirt, grateful for his words.

"But Ollie, what if something happens to one of you? I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if I couldn't do something… no, anything to protect you guys. I know if something happened I would feel as if it were my fault. I'm the Healer in the group. If I can't save you guys, what would I do?"

 **"** You don't mean that," Oliver answered. "You are Katie Bell, a Gryffindor who will face trouble head on when it approaches. Merlin, if something did happen to one of us, that person would want us to keep living our lives. No one would blame anyone Katie. All we would need to do is band together, because, like you said, we are a family. And family is always there for each other, no matter what happens." He was stroking her hair and he could begin to feel her starting to calm down.

"You're right Ollie. You may not be right about everything all the time, especially regarding Quidditch-"

"Hey!" He whispered, sounding jokingly hurt.

"But we are a family. And family sticks together, no matter what." She uncurled herself from around him and stood up. She offered him her hand, which he accepted and he pulled himself off the ground. Quickly she moved towards him and engulfed him in a hug. "Thank you Oliver. I don't know how you manage to put up with me and my craziness, but I appreciate it so much. I love you," she murmured into his chest.

"I love you too. But the only thing I still don't know how to put up with is your love of gray Kneazle knickknacks. What about the black ones? Or the white?" He joked, trying to help her lighten the mood.

She looked at him in amusement, "Well I would have you know that I used to have a Kneazle that would wander around my yard when I was a kid. Seeing the knickknacks bring a sense of nostalgia about my childhood. So you, sir, will have to deal with gray Kneazle knickknacks."

He chuckled, "Ok, ok. I get it. I mean you do put up with my Quidditch craziness and you have for seven years. Then I will have to learn to deal with the Kneazles."

She grinned at him. "You know what? I have an idea. We should start saving some money for all of us to go on an adventure or a vacation. Maybe go to America for a bit, or France or Spain." Sticking her hand into her pocket she shuffled it around, "I have a couple Sickles and Knuts in here that we could start saving. It could be one of those loose change things that you just work on saving money. We can get everyone else involved in it too!"

Smiling at her, he fished around his pocket and found some more loose change. He quickly found a large vase and dropped the change into it, thankful she had found some hope to hold on to in this difficult time. "I think that's an excellent idea. I know we're headed to the shop tomorrow, let's bring it up then."

She beamed at him. "Perfect! Now… about dinner," she trailed off, looking warily around. "Maybe we should order out since it's already so late?"

He nodded, "That's a good idea, I'll go find the take-out menus and we'll figure something out." He turned to walk into the other room but stopped suddenly when he felt her hand on his. He turned back to look at her.

"Ollie? Thank you. For everything," she put her arms around his neck and reached up to give him a kiss. She melted into the kiss, allowing him to wrap his strong arms around her and to take some of her fear and worry away.

"Always Katie. I am always going to be here for you," he pulled her in for another kiss, trying to let that speak of his love and promise to her. She smiled into the kiss and sighed in relief. As long as they were together, with their friends by their side, they knew they would be able to get through anything.


	5. Chapter 5

Written for the Last Ship Sailing Competition.

Prompts used:  
Word: delicate  
Word: fresh  
Dialogue: "I don't understand."  
Object: key  
Color: Turquoise

Bonus prompts used:  
Emotion: jealous  
Word: useless  
Object: bouquet  
Color: white

* * *

 **Memories and Hope**

Oliver felt useless. They had promised they would always be there for each other. He had promised to protect her. To be there for her. To love her.

He felt as though he had failed her. He had been sitting by her bedside at St. Mungo's for the past two weeks, leaving only when their friends forced him home to get some food or sleep. He took a leave of absence from Quidditch, knowing he needed to be there for her, kicking himself that his plans that day had to change because of work and he hadn't been going to meet her in Hogsmeade like he had originally promised.

When he heard that Katie had been cursed, he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. Oliver had rushed to the hospital, only to find healers surrounding her and they wouldn't let him see her until the next day. It had been two weeks since Katie was cursed by dark magic and she still wasn't awake.

Glancing over at her bed, she looked so pale and thin. She didn't seem like the Katie Bell he knew and loved that was always so full of life. She looked delicate and frail covered by the thin, white hospital blanket.

He let out a sad half smile as he glanced at her and took her hand in his. If she ever heard him refer to her as 'delicate' she would throw a fit. Katie was a true headstrong Gryffindor, and when she had been on the Quidditch Pitch, delicate was the last word that would be used to describe her. She was stubborn and loved to tease her friends relentlessly. She also was always the first person to stick up for her friends when things got tough.

He remembered one instance in his seventh year, they were trying to have Quidditch practice and the group of fifth years had a terrible day in Potions. Snape had been his usual cold self and had given the entire class failing grades. The twins never got upset over a bad grade; they even went looking for bad grades on occasion, but today it hit them much harder than usual. They were frustrated, Angelina and Alicia were upset, and Oliver (being Oliver) didn't notice the tension lining the room. Oliver continued lecturing them on plays to improve upon, and finally after 20 minutes of lecturing, Katie spoke up.

 _"Oliver!" she yelled, clearly frustrated at his lack of being able to read the team's emotions. "Can't you tell the team's heart isn't in practice today?"_

 _Oliver stopped and turned to look at her, disbelief in his gaze. "…No." He turned to go back to discussing the most recent play, ignoring what Katie had implied._

 _As Katie saw him returning to discussing Quidditch techniques she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wondering how best to phrase the words she needed to say. "Oliver," she began again, trying to keep her voice controlled. "No one is going to remember anything about practice today." She saw him glance back towards her, frustration in his eyes; she cut him off before he could speak. "It's not that we don't care about Quidditch. We do. We want to win the cup as much as you do, if not more because we all want you to finally get the cup, but Oliver. Look at the others. They're miserable. Snape was being even more of a git than usual. He flunked the entire class on purpose and then took points from Gryffindor because everyone 'flunked.' Sure he won't say that but it's obvious that he did, knowing it's their OWL year. But Ollie, we clearly want to focus on Quidditch but it's not happening right now." She paused, glancing at the others, glad to see the relieved looks on their faces._

 _"It's true Oliver," Angelina said as Alicia nodded beside her._

 _"Oliver, just look at the twins. They never get upset over school. Ever! Just… can we end practice a little early today IF we promise to look over some of the plays before practice on Friday?"_

 _Oliver wanted to smile; the turquoise in her eyes was gleaming as she fought for her friends. He resisted smiling, but ultimately relented, allowing practice to end early._

He smiled at the memory, wondering if Katie would still have that spitfire personality when she woke up or if the attack would have taken that part of her personality away. He squeezed her hand tighter as he glanced around at the bouquets of flowers lining the room. His eyes swept around the room, finally landing on the fresh vase of flowers that were next to her bed. Oliver's team had sent them over earlier today, wishing Katie a speedy recovery.

Oliver wondered what a "speedy recovery" actually was. Was it even possible to have one after being cursed by dark magic? He should have met her in Hogsmeade that day because if he had, that might have made the difference and Katie wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed now. He should have been a better boyfriend, one who was actually around for his girlfriend. He sighed as he placed both of his hands around hers.

"Katie, please wake up," he began, having no idea if she could hear him or not. The healers said that she would still be able to hear him, but every time he had tried to speak to her it was so difficult to tell. "I have no idea if you can hear me, but I'm sorry I've been such a terrible boyfriend. I should have been there for you and met you in Hogsmeade that day like I had originally planned. But I let Quidditch consume my life again…" he trailed off, tracing his fingers over the back of her hand. "I don't know how you put up with me Kates. I know I don't make life easy for you. I should have spent more time with you. I should have sent you more letters. I'm so sorry Katie. I know I'll never be able to make it up to you, but please. Wake up." He paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm his frazzled nerves.

Suddenly, he felt her hand twitch. For the entire two weeks he had been with her, she had been still. "Kates?" He breathed, unsure if he had actually felt her move.

She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, blinking to try to get her vision to adjust to the light that was currently present in the room. "Ollie?" she breathed as his eyes opened in shock.

"Katie. You're awake, you're actually awake!" He clutched her hand, hardly able to believe that she was finally awake. "I'm so sorry for not coming to Hogsmeade Katie. I promise I will make it up to you. Anything you need me to do, just tell me. I'm here for you Kates, like I always have been," he stammered, having difficulty forming cohesive sentences.

"Ollie… I, I don't understand. What's going on? Where am I? The last thing I remember is that I was getting ready to go to Hogsmeade with Leanne, but beyond that, I don't remember anything."

"Oh Kates, I don't know where to begin…" he took a deep breath as a single tear slipped down his face.

Katie went to move her hand to wipe away the tear, but realized that it was too difficult. "Oliver, I'm scared. I feel so weak. What on earth happened? Am I in the Hospital Wing? Why are there so many flowers here?"

Oliver closed his eyes, drawing on his strength to be able to explain to her what happened. "You were cursed on your way to Hogsmeade. You've been unconscious for the past two weeks. They brought you to St. Mungo's to run tests and try to help you heal faster and combat any dark magic that might have remained in your system. No one is still totally sure what dark magic caused this, or who cast it. We've been focused on helping you heal…" he trailed off as he grasped her hand tighter.

Katie blinked, trying to make sense of what Oliver had just told her. "I was… cursed? Why don't I remember anything?"

"I wish I could answer that for you, but we'll need to let the Healers try to explain that to you. It will make a lot more sense coming from them," he paused, grateful that she finally woke up. "Oh Katie, I love you so much. When I thought I had lost you, I didn't know what to do…"

Katie gave a sad smile. "You'll never lose me Oliver. I love you too. So much. Thank you for being here when I woke up."

"I should never have cancelled coming to see you that weekend. If I had just been there things might have been different. I've just been such an idiot ever since we started dating, and I'm sorry for that. My life has been so much better since we've been together. You mean the world to me Kates."

She smirked, "More than Quidditch?"

He grinned, relieved to see her sense of humor was still there. "Believe it or not, but so much more than Quidditch."

"But Ollie, even if you had been at Hogsmeade with me, there's still a good chance things might not have changed. Stop beating yourself up about everything like you always do. I'm still here. I know it's only been my sleeping body that's been here for however long it's been since this happened, but it's still me. Something came up for your work that day, I totally understand. Just please, don't beat yourself up forever about it. I love you and I could never blame you for what happened, remember that."

"You're right… but how are you feeling? Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Oliver. Stop being such an overprotective parent right now," she answered with a chuckle. "You're almost worse than Mrs. Weasley, and that's saying something."

"Oh shush. You're going to have to deal with it for now. At least until you're better. Though you still haven't answered my questions…"

She rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "Believe it or not, I'm actually still tired and I think sleep might do me some good."

He laughed as relief flooded his mind. She was going to be ok. She was still his Katie and nothing was going to change that. "I think we can work with that. Though there's one thing I wanted to give you before you go back to sleep, will you be ok with that?"

"For you? Of course. What is it?" She asked him as she settled back into the bed, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Well…" he started stumbling over his words, trying to figure out how best to describe what he wanted to say. "I wanted to give this to you at Christmas, but with everything that's happened I figured I might as well do it now," he trailed off as he placed a small box into her hands.

She gave him a questioning look as she slowly opened the box. Inside the box there was a key. She glanced up at him and waited for him to explain further.

"It's a key to my flat. I wanted you to have it during the holidays so you could come over whenever you wanted. I love spending time with you Katie and I want to spend as much time as possible together, especially after everything that's happened and with the looming war. You are the only thing in life that truly makes sense, even more than Quidditch. I just… I need you Katie. You have become the one constant in my life that I can turn to whenever there's something good or bad."

As Oliver was speaking, a few tears began silently falling down Katie's face. "Oh Oliver… I don't even know what to say. Of course I'll take it. I would love to be able to spend even more time with you. You've become my world, even if I have to share you with Quidditch. Sure I may get jealous of Quidditch sometimes, but in the end I know and love you and I have more than what most people ever get to experience. And for that I am beyond grateful. I just… thank you Oliver. For everything. I love you."

Their eyes met and Oliver leaned over and left a lingering kiss on her lips. "You should get some more rest Katie. I should also probably let the Healers know that you've woken up, I'm sure they have a lot to discuss with you. Get some sleep, love." He squeezed her hands and kissed her forehead. As she shut her eyes, he turned to the doorway to go find one of the Healers and then send an owl to their friends to let them know Katie was awake. He smiled as he reached the doorway and glanced over his shoulder to look at his sleeping girlfriend. Despite everything he knew might be coming in the future he had one constant, and that was his love for Katie Bell. He knew she would have a rough recovery ahead of her, but he made a promise to himself that he would be there for her every step of the way, no matter what happened.


	6. Chapter 6

Prompts used: Word: shimmering; Word: Loud; Dialogue: "I hope I didn't get you in trouble."; Dialogue: "Have you heard the news?"; Color: Tan

Bonus prompts used: Item: lipstick; Dialogue: "Just relax."; Color: Pastel pink; Emotion: calm

* * *

 **Friendship, Love, and Trust**

"Have you heard the news?" Angelina asked as she slid into the table across from Katie. With their busy schedules, it had become a tradition to meet at the Three Broomsticks every Saturday evening to catch up with each other and try to maintain a sense of normalcy in the wake of the upcoming war.

"What news?" Katie asked hesitantly, fearing the worst.

"For once, it's something good! But if you haven't heard it yet, I'll let Alicia tell you once she gets here," Angelina replied with a smirk.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Some things never change, do they? You still enjoy being able to tease people about things they don't know yet."

Angelina grinned, "Well, what can I say? It is quite enjoyable," she paused and glanced towards the door, "Oliver! Over here!" She called, waving her arm towards him to indicate where they were sitting.

It still amazed Katie that seeing Oliver still took her breath away. They had been together for over 2 years, but there was something about him that didn't cease to amaze her. He grinned at them both as he headed to the table, wearing jeans, a plaid shirt and a tan jacket. He was still the most handsome man she knew, and she was still in disbelief that they were together.

Oliver reached the table and slid into the booth next to Katie. "Hey Ange, hey Kates," he smiled as he leaned in to give Katie a kiss. He wrapped his arm around her as he sat down, allowing her to lean into him.

"How was practice?" Angelina asked.

He shrugged, "Same as always. But that's a good thing. And I won't bore you with all the details since I know Katie will slap me if I start rambling about Quidditch plays."

"Hey!"

"Well, you do know it's true, love."

"But that doesn't mean we need to talk about it right now… Oh look, it's Alicia and the twins! Hey guys!" They waved as they pushed through the crowd that was surrounding the table.

"M'lady, how are you?" Fred asked as he bent to kiss Angelina's hand.

She raised an eyebrow, "Really Fred?" Shaking her head she interlaced their hands together as she pulled him down next to her. George and Alicia sat down next to them as Fred and George began launching into a discussion about their newest product for the joke shop.

Katie smiled as she listened to her friends talking as though none of them had a care in the world. It was always a relief to her to have their Saturday nights together to decompress from the week and make things seem as though they were still back at Hogwarts. Looking at their group of friends now, it was fascinating to think back to eight years ago when most of them started at Hogwarts. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia had formed a fast friendship as they were roommates, but Angelina and Alicia couldn't stand to be around Fred and George for long periods of time.

Of course it didn't help that the twins liked to pull pranks on the two girls relentlessly, but Katie had always enjoyed the pranks. There were a few years that Katie would help the twins and Lee with some pranks before Quidditch and OWLs had taken over her life. It had taken the twins up to their fifth year to weasel their way into finally befriending Angelina and Alicia. That was helped in part by Angelina and Fred's on and off again relationships. For two people who argued constantly for the previous four years and then see them all of a sudden begin dating, it was a little bizarre. But it allowed for a wonderful friendship to grow between the five of them.

And Oliver.

How on earth did she even begin to describe the relationship that she had with him.

They grew up together, but Oliver was three years older than her and he had primarily been friends with Katie's older brother, Luke. That didn't change anything though, the three of them had still been really good friends throughout their childhood. The Woods lived a few houses away, and the three of them would gather some of the other kids in the neighborhood and hold Quidditch matches. Katie, Oliver, and Luke normally wound up on the same team, wreaking havoc against anyone who tried to play against them.

How did it happen that almost ten years later, Oliver and Katie began dating? Jokingly their parents had always teased them that they would somehow end up together. But when she was younger she definitely did not see Oliver in that way.

Until three years ago. The year they finally won the Quidditch Cup. That was the year that she finally realized her feelings for him, and he confessed his feelings for her. Since he was graduating in a few months, they just got to know each other better. She had been worried about them growing apart after he left Hogwarts, but he convinced her that they had been friends for so many years that it would be close to impossible for them to grow apart.

And he had been right. A year after he graduated they finally decided to give a relationship a try. And two years later they were still together. She sighed with happiness as she thought back over the two years that they had been together. It had its ups and downs, like any relationship, but they always managed to work through things.

Though things were getting a lot more hectic for all of them. With Voldemort rising to power and the Order of the Phoenix taking a stand against him, they lived in constant fear of what could happen. She shivered, worried that this could be the last weekend they all were able to spend together.

But she couldn't think like that. She just couldn't.

"Hey Kates, what's wrong?" Oliver whispered in her ear. "I can tell something's bothering you. And you've been spacing out for well over ten minutes and that's not like you."

She shrugged. "I'm fine Ollie. Or at least I will be, I was just thinking. What are they talking about?" She tried to deflect the question, as she hated when she started to think along these lines. She wanted to enjoy the moments she had, not worry about ones that might not come.

They were suddenly interrupted by loud laughter coming from the twins. Alicia was leaning close to George, closer than she normally did. She was also shooting him a death glare as she was now sporting pastel pink hair.

"George, you have got to be kidding me right now," she told him angrily. "Is this what I'm going to have to put up with from now on?"

Angelina nodded, "I'm so sorry 'Leesh, but yes. Yes it is."

Alicia let out a sigh as she turned to glare at George again. He raised his hands up in surrender, "I didn't do anything! It was all Fred!"

"In this case," Alicia began, "It's never _all Fred_. You always have a hand in these things. What am I going to have to do to revert my poor hair color?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you really want me to say that here?" She shoved him, blushing furiously.

Katie's eyes widened. "Wait. Wait just one minute. Are you two _finally_ dating? Is that what you were implying earlier Ange? And why Alicia, did you not tell me sooner?"

Alicia and George blushed. It was a rare sight seeing George blush and Alicia's blush was clashing terribly with her currently pink hair. It almost looked as though her hair was shimmering, but that must be part of the spell he used to change her hair color.

"Um… well… we were going to tell you. We just haven't seen you since it happened," Alicia responded guiltily.

Katie raised an eyebrow, "So when exactly did this finally start?"

"Well, I mean, we've been seeing each other as friends for years as you know. But officially it started this past Tuesday."

Katie stared at them in disbelief. "You guys managed to keep this from me for _five_ whole days?"

Alicia and George stammered, they didn't know how best to explain.

"But you guys do realize I'm insanely happy for you both, right? I mean, this has needed to happen for years. I'm just more shocked you managed to keep it from me."

"Well, we did want to tell you in person," George began, "The fact that Oliver even managed to keep it from you amazes me."

"Now that," she started, looking pointedly at Oliver, "is impressive. I'm going to need to have a word with him later tonight…"

"Oh man Oliver, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't get you in trouble with your girlfriend. All I can say is good luck, we all know how much of a spitfire she can be."

"Shut up George," Katie teased, knowing how much truth he was speaking. "So Ange, is that the news you were referring to earlier?"

Angelina nodded, she and Fred were being terrifyingly quiet. That normally could mean only one thing-that Fred was planning some sort of prank and God help that poor soul he decided to prank.

The group spent the rest of the night talking, laughing, and trying to forget about the problems surrounding them in the world. After a few hours, Katie could feel herself getting tired and she was leaning her head onto Oliver's shoulder, eyes periodically drifting closed. Oliver glanced down to see her beginning to fall asleep and turned to the rest of the group, "I think we're going to need to call it a night. I don't know how much longer Katie will be able to stay awake for."

The group said goodbye, promising to see each other next Saturday if not sooner, as Oliver and Katie left the Three Broomsticks.

Katie was rummaging through her purse looking for her keys; lipstick, lotion, a magazine, her wallet, and everything else she needed except her keys. "Ollie, do you have your keys with you? I can't find mine anywhere. I must have left them at home…" she trailed off, turning to look at Oliver.

 _Splat_. Katie felt something wet trickling down her neck. She closed her eyes, maintaining a sense of calm that would best help her plot out her attack. She no longer felt as sleepy as she did before they left the pub; but then again a wet snowball on your neck could definitely help someone wake up.

Bending down, Katie quickly formed a snowball. She glanced around to see where Oliver was and quickly Apparated to the spot next to him. Taking the snowball, she shoved it down his shirt, allowing it to melt against his skin.

"Oh no, you did not just do that," he groaned and turned to chase her down the street. He chased her for a few minutes, pelting snowballs at her that she dodged quickly using her Quidditch skills. Being taller than her definitely was at his advantage as it allowed him to catch up to her within a few minutes. He wrapped his arms around her and dragged her to the ground.

Playfully she shoved him, trying to get him off of her. "Ollie! You're squishing me!" She laughed as he moved his weight onto his arms and off of her. "Just relax," he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

Kissing him back was like the stars had aligned. There was something calming about being in his presence. They broke apart and she smiled at him.

"Kates, I do want you to know I am sorry about not telling you about George and Alicia. I knew they wanted to tell you themselves and I didn't want to spoil that surprise for them. I know the difficulty you have with trusting other people that aren't me, Luke, the twins, or Angelina and Alicia so I know how much that must have hurt you to hear. I just wanted you to know that you can still trust me."

"I know Oliver, I understand why you didn't tell me, and it actually didn't bother me nearly as much as it used to. I think having you there throughout my life has truly helped and I cannot thank you enough. You pulled me out of that deep, dark hole that only Luke could get to, and I still don't know how you did it." She smiled shyly at him, overcome with love and gratitude towards him. She reached towards his hand and interlaced their fingers and began walking to their normal Apparition point.

"It must be because of my natural charm and good looks," Oliver grinned.

"You mean your Quidditch charms and Quidditch knowledge? Because in school that was all you ever focused on. Quidditch this, Quidditch that. Oh we have a test? That's not nearly as important as Quidditch. Oh Harry's injured? As long as he gets the snitch first that's all that matters."

Oliver gaped as she was detailing this. "Was I really that bad?"

"I think that was being nice. What about all of those 5AM practices? The ones that none of us could stay awake during?"

"Those were important! It was the only way we could prepare to win the Quidditch Cup!"

"3 hour practices at 5AM when we were studying for our OWLs? Oliver, none of us could stay awake. I think I was the only one who actually tried. Don't you remember seeing the others sleeping? You never even tried to wake them up!"

Oliver raised his hands in his defense, "That was their own fault for not going to bed early enough. I gave you guys a good time to plan to go to bed but if you didn't listen to that it was your own problem."

"Ollie. Think about what you just said." Katie smirked, wondering how long it would take for him to realize what he had been like.

He paused, thinking, "Oh. Oh. Was I really acting like a mother hen?"

" _Now_ you realize it. How many years later?" Katie teased him, loving the look on his face.

"But you still put up with me."

"And I somehow fell in love with you along the way. And I'm still putting up with your Quidditch craziness. I don't know how I do it."

"With a lot of patience. And trust."

"You're right. You got underneath my skin Oliver Wood. And I'm never letting you go. We each have our flaws, but we balance each other out. Thank you for putting up with my craziness, my stress, and my worries, especially about each of you. I love you."

"I love you too Kates. I couldn't imagine anything else right now. I'm so thankful for our life together, despite the war surrounding us." They had reached their Apparition spot, and a light snow had begun falling. He turned to look at her, a light wind was brushing her hair across her face and her eyes were glowing with the love they shared.

"Katie," he began and took her hand in his, "I've loved you since I first met you. I didn't realize it at first, but as we grew older the only thing I could realize was that it was true love. You've put up with me throughout the craziness of Quidditch seasons, school, and now with the impending war. You've done it all in stride, with no anger or frustrations, even when I know I did something stupid. I just-you've become my world Katie and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Katie paused, unsure of where he was headed with this. She opened her mouth to say something only to be stopped by him bending down on one knee.

"Katie Bell, my love and world, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Her eyes widened in shock. They had talked about marriage before, but never as something they could see happening in the near future. Since she was a little girl she had always wanted that dream wedding, but she never dreamed it would be with the perfect man. A tear slipped down her cheek as a smile spread over her face. "Of course I would Oliver! I love you too." He slipped the ring onto her finger, and with a huge grin on his face he picked her up and spun her around. Setting her down he kissed her lips, drawing her close to him.

She smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck, knowing that no matter what the future held, she and Oliver would face it together.

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